Munidopsis demeter, Published, 2007

Published, First, 2007, Species of the genus Munidopsis Whiteaves, 1784 from the Indian and Pacific Oceans and reestablishment of the genus Galacantha A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Galatheidae), Zootaxa 1417, pp. 1-135 : 63-65

Munidopsis demeter n. sp.

( Fig. 30)

Material examined. Solomon Islands, SALOMON 2, Stn 2237, 400 m: 1 F 3.5 mm, holotype (MNHN- Ga5560) .

Etymology. The species is dedicated to Demeter, the Greek goddess of grains and agriculture, in reference to the granulate aspect of the carapace. The name is considered as a substantive in apposition.

Description. Carapace granulated, nearly devoid of setae, slightly longer than broad; dorsal surface moderately convex from side to side; cervical groove moderately distinct, regions well defined, gastric and cardiac regions more convex than branchial regions. Gastric region with pair of large rounded epigastric processes. Cardiac region triangular, preceded by deep transverse groove. Rostrum broad, slightly directed downward in lateral view, 0.2 length of remaining carapace, maximum width 0.3 times carapace breadth, apex blunt; dorsal surface with longitudinal carina, ventral surface carinate in midline. Frontal margin concavely oblique behind ocular peduncle, leading to produced process behind antennal peduncle, then concavely transverse toward produced anterolateral corner of carapace; lateral margins granulated, weakly convex, with notch at end of anterior cervical groove. Posterior margin preceded by moderately elevated ridge.

Pterygostomian flap with small granules, anteriorly angular.

Sternum as long as wide, maximum width at sternite 7. Sternites smooth; sternite 3 broad, weakly bilobate, about 3 times wider than long; sternite 4 slightly more than twice width of sternite 3.

Abdomen covered with minute granules; segments 2ñ4 each with slightly produced transverse ridge followed by shallow transverse groove; segment 6 with weakly produced posterolateral lobes and nearly transverse posteromedian margin. Telson composed of 8 plates; posterior plates combined more than twice as wide as long.

Ocular peduncle movable, without eye-spine; cornea subglobular, as long as remaining eyestalk, reaching end of antennal article 3. Blunt spine ventral to front margin between ocular and antennal peduncles.

Basal article of antennular peduncle granulated, with thick distolateral spine, dorsolateral spine thick, blunt, shorter than distolateral spine, with lateral margin granulated; distomesial margin with small granules but no spine.

Basal article of antennal peduncle granulated, with strong distomesial spine, overreaching article 3, clearly longer than distolateral process; articles 2 or 3 with distolateral and distomesial margins blunty produced.

Mxp 3 ischium granulated, as long as merus measured on extensor margin, flexor and extensor margins terminating in blunt processes; 15 corneous denticles on crista dentata. Flexor margin of merus with 2 thick spines; extensor margin with strong distal spine.

P1 long and slender, nearly twice carapace length, covered with numerous small granules and sparse simple setae on merus to dactylus. Merus more than 1.5 times length of carpus, with a few blunt distal spines, several protuberances along mesial margin. Carpus about twice longer than high, with several blunt distal spines. Palm slender, longer than carpus, unarmed. Fingers nearly half length of palm, opposable margins nearly straight, not gaping, distally spooned; fixed finger with denticulate carina on distolateral margin.

P2–P4 moderately long and slender, granulated, sparsely some short simple setae, decreasing in size posteriorly; P2 longest, clearly not reaching end of P1. P2 merus half as long as carapace, about 3 times longer than high, more than twice length of carpus and nearly 1.5 length of propodus, distal blunt spine on dorsal and ventral margins; carpus with distal blunt spine on dorsal margin, and longitudinal crest on lateral surface; propodus 4 times as long as high, ventral margin unarmed except for one corneous spines on distal portion; dactylus shorter than propodus, slightly curved, flexor margin curved, with 9 or 10 minute teeth.

Epipods absent from pereiopods.

Remarks. Munidopsis demeter resembles M. snelliusae Baba, 1977 , from Seram, Indonesia. Both species are characterized by the rostrum broad, dorsally carinate, without lateral spines, a pair of epigastric spines or processes, lateral borders of carapace without acute spines, abdominal segments smooth, eyespine absent, P1 longer than P2, and P2–P4 dactyli spinulose on flexor margin. However, the following characters can easily differentiate the two species:

—The distal half of each lateral margin of the rostrum bears some small teeth in M. snelliusae , whereas these margins are smooth in M. demeter .

The dorsal carapace surface bears granular tubercles in M. snelliusae , being flattened in the new species.

—The dorsolateral spine of the first antennular article is thick, bluntly produced, and shorter than distolateral spine, with the lateral margin granulated in M. demeter , whereas in M. snelliusae , these spines are subequal, spiniform, and the lateral margin of this segment is not granulated but armed with a small spine.

—The epipods are absent on all pereiopods in M. demeter , but present on P 1 in M. snelliusae .

Distribution. Only known from the Solomon Islands, at 400 m.